La Crosse County Board joins fight to keep north-side rail crossings open

Elected leaders on the La Crosse city council and the county board agree that two railroad crossings in north La Crosse need to remain open to traffic. County supervisors voted on Thursday night to join the city of La Crosse in opposing a state order to close two crossings near the Amtrak depot.

Local officials have said those proposed closings would leave just one rail crossing at street level in north La Crosse. One county board member said during the meeting that heavy traffic during rush hour on Thursday would have been very bad without the crossings targeted for closing by the DOT.

The supervisors voted to contest the proposed closing of the crossings at Liberty and St. Cloud, and at Avon and Hagar Streets, following a similar vote last week by the La Crosse city council. Citizens and elected officials worry about the reduced access that would occur with just one street-level rail crossing on the north side that does not include an overpass.